Hey @Precogvision, do you plan to review IE900 any time soon?
Really curious to hear your thoughts on it.
Really curious to hear your thoughts on it.
Precog's IEM Reviews & Impressions
- Thread starter Precogvision
- Start date
Tbh, I probably won’t review it. There hasn’t been a single Sennheiser IEM that I’ve liked, so it’s not on my radar. If one turns up locally though, I can definitely drop some impressions! I wonder if Sennheiser SF will get a pair for demo. Last I checked, they still weren’t doing demos due to the pandemic, but that might be changing soon.
AK SE200 Impressions
Okay, I'm on something of a content hot streak haha. I received this and the SA700 from Headphones.com so that I have some more reference points for when the SE180 (the release has been delayed) arrives. The SE200 is a pretty interesting little DAP. It combines two separate types of chips so that a listener can go between them at the switch of a jack. Surprise, surprise, but I dislike gimmicks like this. I dislike the uber-sharp edges of this DAP. I dislike how they've tried to force you to purchase their very expensive case to mitigate said edges. I dislike the UI and sluggishness of AK's stripped software. All in the name of "innovation," though, right? ...right? The selling point here, then, is that the two DACs utilized in the SE200 are essentially yin and yang.
On the left side, you have the ES9068AS. I believe this is the first ESS chip that I've heard. Unsurprisingly, this sounds quite different from the AK sound I'm used to; it has a "Hi-Fi" sound in a manner not dissimilar to the qdc Anole VX. Bass is tight and clean. The frequencies that follow sound pushed forward for max clarity; the midrange's transient attack is highly transparent, and this is why I say something like the DX300 sounds like it has slightly blunted midrange transients. Treble, however, sounds jutted forward and slightly brighter than it should. Perhaps this is the infamous Sabre glare I hear so much about. Dynamic contrast is acceptable, but there's a lack of weight to the way dynamic swings are articulated. Staging is fairly unremarkable; a quick A/B with my DX300 shows that the DX300 is considerably wider and presents a more open stage. The main problem with this side would probably be that none of it sounds particularly natural. It all sounds quite cold, bright, and etched in decay. Still, I think this is my preferred side.
Now to the right is the AKM AK4499EQ. I've always been on the fence about what I'd call the AK "house-sound". On this side, the Andro 2020 sounds like a regression to the Andro 2019 minus the treble sparkle; everything is quite warm and congested. Before someone asks, yes, it hisses audibly too. At least the SE200 is not as bad as the SP1000M. Midrange transient attack has seen a noticeable step in the right direction, and the SE200's AKM side is slightly more resolving than the SP1000M. The AKM chip presents a sound that leans more textured in decay than it does smooth or etched. I suppose my biggest issue with this whole sound is that it seems strangely forced. There is what I can only describe as a lack of authenticity to the timbre here, like everything from the midrange and up has been intentionally muted for a smoother, darker listen. More forgiving ears might call it "velvety". It is quite distinctive - I could probably A/B between these two chips reliably. Unfortunately, I don't think I agree with this tuning philosophy.
At the end of the day, I want to make clear that this is mostly just me being a picky asshole. There's nothing wrong about the SE200 sound-wise, and it presents a sound that I think most would be impressed with. Heck, if my only DAP was still the DX160, I probably would've been just as floored as when I first heard the SP1000M. The SE200 is all about fostering synergy. It presents two distinct sounds, one of which will probably work better with a given IEM; I just wish it had something in-between.
Score: 7/10
Okay, I'm on something of a content hot streak haha. I received this and the SA700 from Headphones.com so that I have some more reference points for when the SE180 (the release has been delayed) arrives. The SE200 is a pretty interesting little DAP. It combines two separate types of chips so that a listener can go between them at the switch of a jack. Surprise, surprise, but I dislike gimmicks like this. I dislike the uber-sharp edges of this DAP. I dislike how they've tried to force you to purchase their very expensive case to mitigate said edges. I dislike the UI and sluggishness of AK's stripped software. All in the name of "innovation," though, right? ...right? The selling point here, then, is that the two DACs utilized in the SE200 are essentially yin and yang.
On the left side, you have the ES9068AS. I believe this is the first ESS chip that I've heard. Unsurprisingly, this sounds quite different from the AK sound I'm used to; it has a "Hi-Fi" sound in a manner not dissimilar to the qdc Anole VX. Bass is tight and clean. The frequencies that follow sound pushed forward for max clarity; the midrange's transient attack is highly transparent, and this is why I say something like the DX300 sounds like it has slightly blunted midrange transients. Treble, however, sounds jutted forward and slightly brighter than it should. Perhaps this is the infamous Sabre glare I hear so much about. Dynamic contrast is acceptable, but there's a lack of weight to the way dynamic swings are articulated. Staging is fairly unremarkable; a quick A/B with my DX300 shows that the DX300 is considerably wider and presents a more open stage. The main problem with this side would probably be that none of it sounds particularly natural. It all sounds quite cold, bright, and etched in decay. Still, I think this is my preferred side.
Now to the right is the AKM AK4499EQ. I've always been on the fence about what I'd call the AK "house-sound". On this side, the Andro 2020 sounds like a regression to the Andro 2019 minus the treble sparkle; everything is quite warm and congested. Before someone asks, yes, it hisses audibly too. At least the SE200 is not as bad as the SP1000M. Midrange transient attack has seen a noticeable step in the right direction, and the SE200's AKM side is slightly more resolving than the SP1000M. The AKM chip presents a sound that leans more textured in decay than it does smooth or etched. I suppose my biggest issue with this whole sound is that it seems strangely forced. There is what I can only describe as a lack of authenticity to the timbre here, like everything from the midrange and up has been intentionally muted for a smoother, darker listen. More forgiving ears might call it "velvety". It is quite distinctive - I could probably A/B between these two chips reliably. Unfortunately, I don't think I agree with this tuning philosophy.
At the end of the day, I want to make clear that this is mostly just me being a picky asshole. There's nothing wrong about the SE200 sound-wise, and it presents a sound that I think most would be impressed with. Heck, if my only DAP was still the DX160, I probably would've been just as floored as when I first heard the SP1000M. The SE200 is all about fostering synergy. It presents two distinct sounds, one of which will probably work better with a given IEM; I just wish it had something in-between.
Score: 7/10
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I heard AK DAPs doesn't have a house sound and mostly focused on technicalities, perhaps you should try Shanling M8 in near future. I think this is one of the most descriptive review I read about any DAP on the web. Really stellar work, keep em coming
Were you using the balanced connection for each side? The reason I ask is that your impressions are sort of the reverse of what I hear from each respective side ... this isn’t the first time it’s happened though as I believe @hshock76 hears it similarly to you while @Skullar hears it similar to me ... I just find it strange.
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Okay, so here's the thing. I'm looking at the manual right now, and it say that the left side is the AKM chip and that the right side is the ESS chip. But...this is the complete opposite of what I hear. Both of the other AK DAPs that I have on hand, the SP1000M and SA700 which both use the AKM chips, sound like the right side of the SE200 (assuming the screen is facing me). I'll be the first to admit I don't have golden ears, but it's distinctive to the point of which I'm pretty sure I could A/B them. For example, I didn't even have to look at the specs to know what chip the SA700 uses. So I also didn't look at the SE200's manual when I said which is which. It's possible I'm wrong, but I do wonder if they've gotten them swapped in the manual, or maybe even in the devices themselves, which could explain the differing opinions!
One would think, with such an obvious headline FEATURE (aka dual DACs) that the active DAC would be indicated if not on the screen then with an LED, or even be listed somewhere in settings as the active DAC. Left/right seems strangely unintuitive for a precision digital device don't you think? And for the record, the way you describe the two DACs is exactly the commonly perceived and accepted signature of these vendors, so unless A&K deliberately tuned them inversely to how they normally sound for whatever reason, you're likely spot on.
I picked up that you mixed sides up when i was reading your impressions. This was quite interesting to read as you could sort of call it a blind test.
Now the impression from me @Tristy and you align a bit more.
Though im with you on dac sound just a bit different. I owned more sabre dacs in my case and im used to a bright sparkly signature. But instead you get subdued distant treble. I think that its something to do which much lower output power of ESS compared to AKM
Its like comparing low gain vs high gain on the same amp.
AKM side for me is a brute untamed copy of sp2000. Well not quite a copy, but they do share some DNA in tuning
Its a V-shape signature or maybe U shape. And yes it did sound a bit forced. Although quite engaging, it, as you mentioned in comparison vs dx300, loses a bit of depth and spaciousness. And it felt similar when comparing to R8 but not by much. Though its hard to judge from such a short listen.
It wasnt hard to see differences between both se200 sides however. They were almost opposite tunings. V or U shape vs forward mids and tamed bass and treble.
The SE200 does indicate this with the coloured LED ring around the volume wheel. When a plug is inserted into the left AKM side the LED volume ring will glow burgundy for a couple of seconds before going back to the colour that indicates what file size is playing. When an input is put into the right ESS side it will turn turquoise for a couple of seconds. And regarding the tuning, What @Skullar has mentioned above is exactly as I hear it with the AKM side being more vivid and sort of 'V' shaped with a narrower stage (emphasised bass and upper mids/vocals). The ESS side is more natural and linear sounding with a wider stage but less dynamic.
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nekromantik
Headphoneus Supremus
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@Precogvision I know you hated the Dorado 2020 haha so what would you say is best IEM for Trance/House music with more fun sound signature and bass for under $1k
Yeah, it seems we all agree on the sound, but what's confusing me is which chip is responsible for which! The side that supposedly contains the AKM chip sounds nothing like what the other DAPs with AKM chips I have in my possession sound like. It much more closely aligns with what I'd expect to hear from an ESS chip; vice versa, the side that supposedly has the ESS chip sounds like an AKM. It doesn't make sense to me that AK would "swap" sound signatures between the DACs. There's no logical reason to do so, which is leading me to surmise that perhaps that the manual is incorrect. I'm glad I don't have to review the SE200 in full haha.
For EDM, I like my Sony MH755. No joke. If you find a legit one, it's probably got some of the best bass tactility you're going to find under a grand. B2 Dusk also has a really nice bass shelf, but the tactility isn't as nice as the MH755 imo.
Well i suppose it just shows that amp circuit and implementation in general is more important than dac chip.
Why dont you try EE Bravados? Weapon X subwoofers are awesome for EDM.
IEMusic
Headphoneus Supremus
I’m very interested in the EE Bravado Mk.2, and really would love to try it out. Right now, for trance/house music, I really like the UrbanFun YBF. The major caveat is the QC issues, and different driver materials used. If you can buy it via Amazon, that takes away a lot of the risk. If it doesn’t sound like a bass head IEM, then one probably received the noble metal version, rather then the beryllium coated version. In fact, I’m quite convinced that Crinacle graphed the noble metal version. The beryllium version has very deep, potent bass, with a lot of texture, and good speed. The treble is well extended, especially for a single DD IEM, IMO. It has a V-shaped tuning, but I don’t find the mids that recessed sounding. It also doesn‘t have shouty upper mids to me.
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nekromantik
Headphoneus Supremus
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Yeah been looking into that. I already got Polaris 2 so if it's similar to bravado then could be waste of money haha
How is this?
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